Fleischman, P. (1997). Seedfolks. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
The perfect depiction of how even the smallest of actions can have the most astounding effects, Seedfolks is a story of hope and breaking down barriers. A young girl’s simple act of planting beans in memory of the father she never knew leads to the eventual reclamation of a trash-filled vacant lot and the formation of a community garden. The story is written from the perspectives of thirteen different members of this urban Cleveland neighborhood, all of whom are involved with the garden in their own unique way. Although the garden initially mirrors the segmentation present within the neighborhood, one neighbor’s unification efforts combined with plain old proximity effectively results in neighbors helping and protecting one another, sharing and trading their bounty, and taking pride in each other’s success: the community garden has created community in the neighborhood.
Seedfolks depicts Vietnamese, Guatemalan, indigenous Central American, African American, Caucasian, Jewish, Haitian, Korean, British, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Indian, Polish, and Italian people. The book also depicts many different age groups, from school-aged to elderly.
Reading this book just reinforced that one of my main responsibilities as a teacher is to facilitate community in my classroom. Sam went out of his way to speak to every person and even created a contest for how to best get water to the garden, helping break down barriers and inspiring others to do the same. I will be sensitive to any misunderstandings or fears stemming from cultural differences or otherwise in my classroom, and will work extra hard to create an environment in which students of every culture feel respected, understood, and safe. A victim of robbery at gunpoint and so understandably afraid and lonely, Sae Young is so relieved and happy to finally have human contact when Sam speaks to her. Reading this book also helped me see how easy it is to misread actions in the absence of any real knowledge about the person or situation, emphasizing how critical it is for me to truly know my students and each of their unique situations. In the beginning of the story, Ana sees Kim burying something in the lot: “drugs most likely, or money, or a gun.” Ana was of course mistaken, and when she realizes her mistake, she enlists Wendell’s help to save the beans that were planted too early.
I highly recommend this book for children (grades 4-8) and adults alike. The story is simply bursting with diversity, and its messages of hope and community are guaranteed to touch the hearts of everyone who reads it. Depending on the age and reading level of my students, I would definitely use this book in my classroom.
Fleischman, P. (1997). Seedfolks. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
The perfect depiction of how even the smallest of actions can have the most astounding effects, Seedfolks is a story of hope and breaking down barriers. A young girl’s simple act of planting beans in memory of the father she never knew leads to the eventual reclamation of a trash-filled vacant lot and the formation of a community garden. The story is written from the perspectives of thirteen different members of this urban Cleveland neighborhood, all of whom are involved with the garden in their own unique way. Although the garden initially mirrors the segmentation present within the neighborhood, one neighbor’s unification efforts combined with plain old proximity effectively results in neighbors helping and protecting one another, sharing and trading their bounty, and taking pride in each other’s success: the community garden has created community in the neighborhood.
Seedfolks depicts Vietnamese, Guatemalan, indigenous Central American, African American, Caucasian, Jewish, Haitian, Korean, British, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Indian, Polish, and Italian people. The book also depicts many different age groups, from school-aged to elderly.
Reading this book just reinforced that one of my main responsibilities as a teacher is to facilitate community in my classroom. Sam went out of his way to speak to every person and even created a contest for how to best get water to the garden, helping break down barriers and inspiring others to do the same. I will be sensitive to any misunderstandings or fears stemming from cultural differences or otherwise in my classroom, and will work extra hard to create an environment in which students of every culture feel respected, understood, and safe. A victim of robbery at gunpoint and so understandably afraid and lonely, Sae Young is so relieved and happy to finally have human contact when Sam speaks to her. Reading this book also helped me see how easy it is to misread actions in the absence of any real knowledge about the person or situation, emphasizing how critical it is for me to truly know my students and each of their unique situations. In the beginning of the story, Ana sees Kim burying something in the lot: “drugs most likely, or money, or a gun.” Ana was of course mistaken, and when she realizes her mistake, she enlists Wendell’s help to save the beans that were planted too early.
I highly recommend this book for children (grades 4-8) and adults alike. The story is simply bursting with diversity, and its messages of hope and community are guaranteed to touch the hearts of everyone who reads it. Depending on the age and reading level of my students, I would definitely use this book in my classroom.